Keep Going
by Meredith A. Jones
Summary: After the treasure was found, Ben gets a few more surprises. Chapter 2 now posted! (I like this so far lol. SO READ AND REVIEW)
1. After the Treasure

Keep Going  
Chapter 1  
After the Treasure

Disclaimer: If I owned National Treasure, I'd be able to meet Nicolas Cage, which would ROCK. So, I don't know Nic Cage, and I don't own National Treasure. See? There you go.

Although it seems that way, my life didn't stop after finding the treasure in July 1995. Very many surprises came afterwards in a short period of time. First of all, Abigail and I got married in St. Patrick's Catholic Church on the 14th of September of the year 1996 and afterwards held a huge reception in the backyard of our new home on Wilkshire Road. Mr. Riley Poole was the best man, and Abigail's sister Debra Chase, the maid of honor. At the reception, Riley ended up asking Debra out on a date. Shortly after, I applied for a job as a History Professor at George Washington University, where I was accepted and hired with much gratitude and welcome. Riley was hired as a columnist for the Uptown Citizen in October, and has been busy writing away History and viewpoint articles ever since. Of course, I'm usually his fact checker and have spent many hours with him correcting his spelling and grammar. I don't mind, really; I'm glad to help him. One of his dreams was to become a columnist for the newspaper, after all, and he got his wish. It's funny how some dreams come true and some don't. Mine did, of course, and I'm sure my great-great-great-great grandfather, Thomas Gates, and the members of my family forward are all looking down on me now with satisfaction and no shame in admitting that I'm the product of the Gates family.

A few years after Riley was hired for his new job, my father passed away. His wake was on December the 12th 1999, and his funeral a day later. He had died suddenly from heart failure one night. I went over there with Abigail one night to tell him the big news, our newest surprise, and we found him there sitting completely still in his chair with his eyes open, his face gray and cold. That might have been one of the biggest shocks of my life...if I were to include the news that I was going to bring to my dad the night he passed - that he was to be a grandfather. I think he would have been happy to be a grandfather, though I know I would have gotten one of my "Cavalier" lectures the same night - maybe he'd direct it to Abigail as well. And actually, if he hadn't been dead when I got there, he might just have had a heart attack anyway after I told him. But what can you do? You can't collapse and forget what's ahead of you. As Winston Churchill once said, "If you're going through hell, keep going."

**A/N**: This is an introduction to the story - I'm just going to write from the marriage to Ben's father's death. This'll be fun. I'm coming out with another National Treasure fanfiction soon that happens after Abigail has her children - like, a few years later. But the time frame's different from the one in this one, so yeah. Stay with me on this!


	2. Wedding Reception

Keep Going  
Chapter 2  
Wedding Reception

A/N: You would have figured it out on your own, I'm sure, but Ben narrates in the italics. Whee. Okay I won't keep you waiting - I like this chapter.

_Now, the wedding reception was just enormous. Abigail, who sent out about three fourths of the invitations, asked everyone from the hairy 45 year old friend of a sixth cousin in Iowa, to her sister, mom, and dad. I invited a few of my close cousins, my aunt and uncle and...Riley. That was my fourth. Being an only child, I had no siblings to invite, which could be either fortunate of unfortunate for me depending on the nature of that hypothetical sibling. Anyway, Riley spent almost the whole time taking pictures of said hairy 45 year old, anyone willing to pose and smile, and anyone that decided to move, on his new video camera. And of course his five dollar Kodak camera was put to use..._

"Say...'History'!"

"I'm not saying that, Riley."

"Come on, Ben," Abigail said, holding tighter to her new husband's arm.

"I'm getting out the video camera soon," said Riley.

"Do I have time to run away before then?" Ben said.

"Nope. Come on. History."

"History..." said Ben and Abigail together. Riley snapped the picture, and then picked up the video camera that was hanging from a strap around his neck and fixed it on his eye.

"Hellooo," he said, as Ben lifted his middle finger behind his champagne glass, smirking.

"Aaand now he lets out the bird." Abigail shook her head and made her way over to her parents, while Ben laughed, put his hand in front of the camera lens, and began walking toward the food table, though Riley still followed, watching his best friend's every move with the _Quasar 560_. He zoomed in on Ben's hand moving toward the snack tray.

"And this is Ben eating...what is this...cheese." Ben looked up, looked into the camera and said, "You know in forty years, you're going to watch this video and you're going to say..." he looked diagonally upwards, became thoughtful, and raised his left hand. "What kind of insane human being was I when I was in my 30's?"

"Alright, alright, laugh it up." Riley turned the camera off. "I'll be the one laughing when I have fully documented your entire wedding while you'll have only distorted memories."

"Keep it up with that thing and you'll have documented my entire life."

"Hey Ben!" Abigail called from the other side of the tent. Ben took a bite of a cracker, and began to squeeze through people, Riley still tailing him.

"You know, I'm not giving you a copy of the tape."

"Oh, you better give me a copy of the tape."

"And if I don't?" Ben stopped walking, and turned to his friend.

"You know Albert Einstein once said: "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe." This, from you, is only demonstrating the point of that quote. Copy the tape." Ben continued walking, and Riley rolled his eyes and followed. "And while I'm meeting with Abigail's parents, I would like very much for you to keep that camera off."

"Dude, this is not just a camera, this is the _Quasar 560_. Listen, it's got complete Windows and Macintosh compatibility. And it's bluetooth. I can hook this thing up to a hose - I could hook this thing up to a microwave and it would run." Ben and Riley stopped in front of Abigail and her parents, Ben grateful to have arrived.

"Hello."

"Ben, my parents have invited us to dinner Saturday night," Abigail said, smiling a bit broader than intended, hoping to trigger the same from her husband. Ben just smiled and pretended to be completely overcome with joy.

_My in-laws aren't the most exciting of people - but of course depending on who you ask, I'm not the most exciting of people either. Although, I am a bit more outgoing to say the least. The two were so hesitant to come for some reason, that is very much beyond me, and that might just be a first, it took as much as Abigail to pull them out of their house like a stubborn baby tooth the day of the wedding and reception. They finally committed and showed up, after a bit of fuss. Getting this invitation for dinner, I assumed it was their way of apologizing. I'm currently still trying to forget and move on though._

"That's great!" He said, in what may have been the best concealed lie since the Trojan Horse. "Well what time?" he asked excitedly.

"Around seven I think." Mrs. Chase said quietly, and looked at her husband to consult, and he nodded.

"Well, that's great. That's just awesome. Would you excuse us for a few seconds?" Ben said, guiding his wife away with the hand holding his champagne glass. Riley stayed behind, fiddling with a battery that had just popped out of the _Quasar 560_.

"We're going to dinner over there?" Ben said in a hushed voice, once he had led Abigail into a corner of the tent.

"Ben, they're my parents! And-and they're your parents now too!"

"They didn't even want to come to the wedding, Abigail. They didn't _want_ to become my parents. Abigail huffed, and put her hands out to her sides to keep calm.

"Look," she said, "If this is going to work out, you need to show some self control - "

"I have plenty of self control."

" - And just go along with things like these."

"Yeah, but they didn't want to - " Abigail slapped her hand over his mouth and shook her head. "You forgive and forget, Ben. You forgive and forget." He took her wrist and pulled it away from his face.

"Maybe it has something to do with not meeting me until two days ago." Abigail opened her mouth to speak, but she was cut off.

"Alright, everyone quiet," came Riley's voice from the front of the tent, where on a platform, a pianist had just ceased performing. Everyone's heads turned to the front and the chatter slowly died away. Debra and Riley, both smiling, were standing near the piano.

"Ben, could you come up here?" he said, while people applauded and Ben pretended to search the tent for himself. Abigail shoved him through the crowd up to the platform, he stepped up onto it, looked around at everybody, and then at Riley.

"I think a toast is in order, Ben."

"I can do that," Ben said, smiling. He thought a moment, and then spoke. "Well first of all, thanks for coming, everybody, it's great being here with the people I know, and the people I don't know, (he glanced at the hairy Iowan) and the people that I just met two days ago. (Abigail frowned) And, being asked to give the toast, I can't just toast to me and Abigail, although it would be appropriate. So, right now let's drink to the best man and the maid of honor, Riley Poole and Debra Chase, the bride and groom, the lovely Abigail Gates and of course, yours truly, and all of you who came today. Thanks to my aunt and uncle Dix, and my cousins Leon and Kim, whom I invited, for coming. And...uh...I think that's about it." Everyone took a drink from their glasses, and Riley picked up a spoon and began clinking it on his. The party followed suit, and Ben held out his arm to Abigail. She took it, stepped up onto the platform, grabbed onto his collar, and -

_Okay, you get the point. So that was part of the wedding reception...real exciting, wasn't it? Let's see...the dinner...well, I'm sorry. You'll have to wait until this author feels like posting another chapter. All for now. -BG_

A/N: I love this so far...definitely continuing. I am a history nut/writer, so this is perfect! lol. I'm best at dialogue - and that's almost all of "Captured" is. It's got the worst writing though. Ha. Anyway, I'm gunna put review replies in here cuz i rock. And also because I'm absolutely shocked I've gotten so many reviews since I posted this!!!

**becc-gallanter** - Yay! I love you!! lol. This, in my opinion, is good so far so I'M KEEPIN IT! Keep reading and reviewing and I'll keep writing!!!!

**Ari** - Luckily this was short so you could ACTUALLY READ! Heh...thanks hun xox

**Nick** - Wow u suck. "Good Job." What IS that?

**Liz **- lol I'll think about a Liz in there...maybe she can flirt with Riley. Or touch him in......places. lol. I'LL THINK ABOUT IT DON'T GET YOUR HOPES UP. And the only way you'll find out is if you KEEP READING. lu bye.

**Galaxy3 **- Thanks for reviewing! I emailed you with the answer to your question. I'm glad you think this is good! ...AND ADD ME TO AUTHOR ALERT SO I FEEL SPECIAL AND YOU CAN READ THE REST! lol.

**Ashleigh**-I hope you come back to read the rest! Thank you so much for taking the time to read!

**Wolfgirl64 -**lol codename. Thanks much! I'm glad your review is working now. ...And you spelled excellent wrong. -Dictionary.

**_And if anyone's interested in being on my MAILING LIST, I will email you with updates on my Harry Potter, National Treasure, and Monk fanfiction, plus other things about me and STUFF LIKE THAT!_**


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